A board-certified anesthesiologist, Martin Harssema MD consulted on perioperative management and supervised certified registered nurse anesthetists for challenging cases as a staff anesthesiologist for Malcolm Grow Medical Clinic and Surgical Center. Martin Harssema belongs to the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), which partnered with CAE Healthcare to develop Anesthesia SimSTAT.SimSTAT provides simulation anesthesia education in a virtual environment that enables practicing physicians to further their anesthesia knowledge from anywhere with an Internet connection. The program delivers high-fidelity simulation scenarios through a gaming environment designed to help users improve performance in managing anesthesia emergencies. Users learn through a virtual operating room that incorporates modeled patient physiology and a full complement of anesthesia-related equipment. CAS Healthcare’s team of simulation authorities collaborated with ASA anesthesiologists to develop modules that fulfill requirements for continuing medical education and MOCA 2.0 Part II and IV. Available modules include trauma, appendectomy, robotic surgery, post-anesthesia care unit, and labor and delivery. Each module features realistic patients with a range of diseases and appropriate responses to clinical interactions. The program also tracks a user’s actions and provides formative performance feedback to help him or her identify strengths and weaknesses.
A combat veteran and board-certified anesthesiologist with more than 15 years of experience, Martin Harssema, MD, most recently served as a staff anesthesiologist at the Malcolm Grow Medical Clinic and Surgical Center in Maryland. Alongside his day-to-day activities, Dr. Martin Harssema maintains membership in the American Medical Association. The American Medical Association (AMA) oversees a variety of activities and initiatives aimed at improving medical care and patient health. In recent years, the organization has been particularly focused on preparing medical students and physicians for the health care innovations that will affect how they diagnose and treat patients in the future. As part of these efforts, the AMA oversees the Accelerating Change in Medical Education Consortium, an initiative to help medical schools prepare students for the changing health care system. Initially launched with 11 schools in 2013, the consortium expanded two years later to include a total of 32 schools across the United States. In September 2017, the AMA held a conference to highlight the work of the consortium and further advance the efforts to improve medical education. During the three-day ChangeMedEd 2017 conference, which took place September 14-16, leaders of health systems and medical education organizations nationwide came together to learn about curriculum-redesign projects currently under way as part of the Accelerating Change initiative. Attendees also had the opportunity to get their first look at the AMA’s Coaching in Medical Education Handbook, which offers best practices for medical education professionals who train student physicians.
